Jerry
Makedonski

What's next?
Yes, I can do that.

Twenty years in industrial manufacturing — meat processing, prepared ready-to-eat foods, and a long stretch in industrial protective coatings. Started as a technician building hands-on skills, then moved into maintenance and systems leadership. I'm a generalist by accident — growing up without much teaches you to do a lot with a little, and when your only real resource is your own abilities, you learn to grow them fast and wide.

Controls and PLCs are the area I enjoy most — something about the automation and the visuals of HMIs pulls me in. You can't build those without also being able to build electrical drawings and do 3D modeling, both of which I've led on projects big and small. Lately, AI-assisted tooling has me diving in head first — two years in and I still feel like I'll never know as much as I want to. A lifelong learner's dream.

Now I'm freelancing and taking contract work that catches my interest. When I'm not on assignment, I'm traveling with my wife — we've had the privilege of spending months at a time across places like Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Japan, and we're always looking forward to the next international adventure.